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The Last of Us Part 1 Bill's Town Walkthrough

Use our guide to catch up with Bill and then make it safely through the High School without a scratch.

Now that you've made it out of the city with Ellie in tow, it's time to find yourself a car in The Last Of Us Part 1. This means visiting a man named Bill, who apparently owes Joel a favour.

You'll need to tread carefully as you approach Bill's safehouse in The Last Of Us Part 1, as there are plenty of fights to handle before you reach the end of the chapter. Use our guide to handle each one without breaking a sweat.

Note that this is the first section of the game where you will encounter more powerful variants of infected, so make sure to craft as many molotovs you can, as you go.

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Cover image for YouTube videoThe Last of Us Part 1 - PlayStation 5 - The Digital Foundry Tech Review
The Last of Us Part 1 - PlayStation 5 - The Digital Foundry Tech Review

The Woods

Have a good look around the woods for any supply items you might need, then take the path to your right. You'll come across a locked gate, but worry not. Head around the corner and look for a board that's leaning up against a wall and place it up against the structure behind you. Climb on top of it to pick up the Upgrade Melee Weapon ability, you'll unlock it by picking up the modified pipe on the ground here.

Now take that same board and lay it across the structure to your right. Cross it and pick up any nearby supplies, then look for a hole in the fence and clamber through it. Watch out for the pair of Clickers lurking nearby, and get into cover. Using a bottle or a brick as a distraction, lure them out of their starting place, then pick them both off. Once they're dead, hoover up any supplies you can find, then give Ellie a leg up over the gate. Make sure you check the Shiv door to the left as you approach this gate. There's also a set of stairs that will take you through a small building filled with supplies.

Once again, take the time to pick up any supplies in the area before looking around the shops. You'll find a safe behind a pickup opposite a pizza parlour - the code you need can be found on a scrap of paper lying on the barricade at the dead end. Grab the items, then walk down the alley near the music shop. You'll see a tripwire here, just wait for a Clicker to round the corner and activate it.

Once the Clicker's head has exploded, keep going forwards, using the ladder on the truck to pick up a Bow weapon. Walk over the plank of wood, then grab it and lean it against the building, right next to the ladder. Climb up the ladder, then grab the plank so you can create a narrow path towards the next building. Once you've crossed over and killed the Clicker on the other side (this is a great opportunity to practise with your new bow, keep going forwards until you reach another ladder. Climb down it, then crouch to make it safely past the next trip-wire.

Take a left and open the door you come to. Now head upstairs and pick up any items you can find in the room to your right. Now enter the next room, but be ready to deal with a Runner when you do so. When it's dead, grab the supplies littered around the room and then head back outside. There are more trip-wires to contend with here, so use whatever bricks and bottles are lying around to trigger each trap.

Head through the gate you come to, then take a right. Once you've triggered the trip-wire in front of you, keep heading forwards and pass through the next door. When this happens, Joel will become tangled up in a new trap. Stay calm and use your weapon to pick off the infected swarms - prioritise the Clickers if you can. Kill enough of them and Joel will be rescued. You have unlimited ammo during this section, so just keep blasting away, even if the enemies are at range. Keep infected off of Ellie and you will make it out alive.

Now run as fast as you can with Bill, killing the infected as you go. When you reach the laundrette, the enemies will try to get in with you. Kill them, then make sure you pick up the bat on the washing machine before leaving. Keep trailing Bill now until you reach his hideout.

Safehouse

Grab all of the nearby supplies, then start following Bill. Be sure to take care of any weapon upgrades you want to make before leaving. As you follow Bill, pick up any other useful items you come across, then meet him at the door. Keep following him until you reach the outside once more, but be ready to take on a pack of enemies.

Graveyard

First things first, kill all of the Runners using whatever projectile or melee weapons you have to hand. Next, deal with the Clickers - they can't see you, so get a bit of distance from each one and pick them off with bullets or traps. Once all of the enemies are dead, hoover up the supplies and then follow Bill again.

The next area you come to is a residential zone that's packed with Clickers and Runners. The best strategy is to simply avoid as many fights as you can - those Runners will alert any nearby Clickers, after all. Your ultimate objective is the white door, located left of your current position. If you decide to explore the area before heading to this door, make sure you use Joel's Listening mode to avoid or control fights carefully. Remember that you have a bow now, which can be used to kill silently. Not only that, but you can sometimes even retrieve arrows from dead enemies.

When you get to the final door, step very gingerly through it as there are a bunch of Clickers waiting for you in the house on the other side. Don't fight them, just sneak your way through the building and leave it without starting any trouble. Alternatively, craft a molotov, and use a brick or a bottle to lure the Clickers into one room. You can them burn them all in one go.

The next house you arrive at has no enemies at all, so feel free to explore it at your leisure and grab any nearby items. Once you've finished up here, catch up with Bill and give him a hand opening up the garage door.

You need to be very stealthy when it comes to picking off the swarm of Runners you face next. Sneak up to the creature on the far right, then use the Listening mode to locate the rest of them. Once you've carefully picked off every last one, give Ellie a leg-up onto the school bus and get her to grab the ladder. Climb up it, keep following Bill, then run to the left when you hear the Clickers. Bill will open up the window for you.

High School Escape

You'll find yourself now in Lincoln High School, and it's absolutely crawling with Runners and Clickers, so keep your wits about you at all times. We recommend making use of every single long-range weapon you have available here - bombs, guns, Molotov cocktails, you name it. Try to get enemies bunched up by using a brick or a battle as a distraction, then throw some damage their way as a group. When the first batch are dead, make your way towards the gym, killing any other infected you encounter along the way.

Bloater fight strategy

Time now to face a new enemy - the Bloater. This beast is packed with spores of pulsating fungus, which both threaten you and defend the creature itself. Before turning your attention to the main enemy, kill all of the Runners that appear first. When fighting the main target, try to keep some distance between the pair of you to avoid the spores, and just keep shooting as and when it's safe to do so.

The best way to deal with Bloaters is with fire. Throw molotovs at it, and look around the gym to find extra supplies for bombs and traps.

When the Bloater's dead, take any remaining supplies littered around the room, then give Bill a leg-up towards the ladder. Kill the Runners that show up, then leave via the window. Catch up with Bill and climb the ladder before any more enemies can catch you.

Car escape

Pick up any supplies hidden in the house, then get to the rear of the truck and give it a good push. You'll be interrupted a total of three times by Clickers and Runners. The best way to deal with this section is to use the shotgun, and any molotovs you have left. Keep your weapon reloaded, and let Bill take out a few enemies, saving you ammo. Once the third batch has been wiped out, jump in the back of the truck.

Head over to our The Last Of Us Part 1 Walkthrough hub for more help with the rest of the game. You'll even find handy guides on tracking down the game's many collectibles.